Easter Classic a winner
Cloudless blue skies greeted 28 teams of three from Northland to Kapiti Coast as Ōmokoroa Bowling Club hosted its famous Easter Classic.
Tournament chair Scott Pickering says the weather was matched by a tremendous event, with a very high standard of play demonstrating its importance to junior bowlers - those with up to five years’ experience.
“Junior rep players also came from North Harbour, Auckland, Counties, Thames Valley, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Mana,” says Scott.
Match convenor Bill Murphy says the standard of play was even higher than last year.
“On the second day (competing for two trophies based on day one scores), everything was very close, with the exception of the overall winning team.
“That composite team led by Jeff Meekings of Ōmokoroa included Hayden Leveridge-Watkins from Canterbury, who moved there through work, and Chris Smith, a member of ours that plays a
lot of bowls in the Thames Valley.
“They came through unbeaten, but beyond that, there were three teams in second place with three wins out of four. We went right down to sixth place with prizes.
“Ōmokoroa also dominated the plate results. One Tree Point took victory, but we got second equal with a team comprising Dan Leary, who was a member of Ōmokoroa for four years and is now down in Wanganui, and stalwart members Rachelle Morrison and Karen Pickering, both aspiring bowlers among rep players in the Bay of Plenty.
“We also had fourth with Debbie Brett, Lindel Craig and Hilary Lyons,” says Bill.
Scott thanks all sponsors, particularly Brother New Zealand, Tremains Real Estate, Engage Consulting, The Vines at Bethlehem, and Bowls NZ, who together provided $5,000 in prize money.
“We’ve also had great feedback from visitors spending at local Air BnBs, cafes, bars and restaurants which pleases us as a club that’s very much part of this community,” Scott says.